Red Gate bridge would ruin Wayne
Despite charts, a 10-minute audio/visual presentation and what would appear to be a thorough assessment by the sponsor and lead agent of the study of Red Gate Road bridge (the City of St. Charles), the proposal put forth at the Dec. 15 public hearing is heavily-biased, begging these questions and comments:
• What is the primary purpose of this bridge if not solely to alleviate Route 64 traffic?
• Why is there no apparent willingness to wait on the Stearns Road regional bridge, so as to remove any engineering assumptions and provide a reliable understanding of that bridge's traffic relief for St. Charles?
• Is federal stimulus money driving the project to such an extent that public officials are blindly disregarding the consequences put upon the village of Wayne?
The repetition of the hardship that would be placed upon the Q Center's ability to expand its private development discounts the negative on the village of Wayne, the ultimate casualty of this bridge. Does tax revenue drive this shortsighted thinking?
The village of Wayne, with only one primary east-west, two-lane arterial through two historic districts - noticeably absent from the charts in the presentation - would be irreparably affected by the suggested placement of this local bridge in connecting Randall Road/Route 31 to Route 59. It would be exacerbated by the Canadian National Railroad's recent purchase of the north-south railroad line in Wayne, which will cause a stated increase of up to six times existing train traffic.
Building a local bridge at the proposed location does not honestly weigh the alternative routes presented against the social, environmental and financial impact that this bridge location places upon St. Charles neighbor. This location is simply seen by city officials as a path of least resistance.
As neighbors, St. Charles and Wayne should be able to work together to find a solution for St. Charles' traffic issues. A solution that causes harm to another community is not a solution at all.
Karen and Dave Armbrust
Wayne